


to cross the night

by wasatch_97



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, M/M, Projection fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26963155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasatch_97/pseuds/wasatch_97
Summary: mm this is just a projection so it’ll probably not make any sense but it means a lot to me so please don’t be mean :(cw:anxiety, blood, locks, the dark, general unhappiness
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	to cross the night

**Author's Note:**

> mm this is just a projection so it’ll probably not make any sense but it means a lot to me so please don’t be mean :(
> 
>  **cw:** anxiety, blood, locks, the dark, general unhappiness

_Fuck fuck fuck—_

Jisung flinches as the fire pops and crackles, turning from orange to blue flames. The campfire grows taller, brighter, until all Jisung can see is flame and dark sky, where did the stars go—

There’s the press of fur against his knee and Jisung looks down, a breath of relief leaving him upon seeing the fluffy white cat that is at his side, rubbing up against his skin where his shorts end. 

“Can you take me away?” Jisung whispers, running his fingers through the silky fur at the top of the feline’s head. “To him, please?” 

A soft purr in response. 

Jisung smiles. 

The gravel path is uneven under his bare feet and when Jisung looks down he winces at how battered his feet look. Bruised and bloodied and sore; he’s so tired of walking and never going anywhere. 

But—

He looks ahead at the path to where the white cat is peering back at him, the emeralds of its collar glittering in the light of his lantern. 

Maybe a bit farther?

Maybe. 

The woods are dark and Jisung’s heart is beating a nervous rhythm as he follows behind the cat, following the white of its fur and the sparkle of the emeralds. 

Jisung hums a tune under his breath, hoping to distract himself from the eerie quiet of the spaces around him. The trees peer down at him from high above, each judging with proud silence, because they know what type of boy Jisung is. 

They can see right through him. 

Jisung hums louder. 

“I’m nervous about this,” Jisung murmurs to the cat who is sitting on the other side of the river, waiting. “I don’t think I can cross this.” 

The cat just peers at him. 

Jisung hooks the lantern to his belt and carefully sets a foot on the first stone, testing its stability. When it doesn’t shake he takes a breath and steps onto it, and then reaches out for the next stone. 

He’s just one stone away from the shore when a ripple in the water catches him off guard and he missteps, grappling frantically at the air as he falls

and falls

falls. 

When he comes to there’s blood in his hair and the light in his lantern has been doused out. 

He doesn’t know where he is. 

He can’t find the cat. 

This time humming doesn’t help his fears as he pushes on through the woods. He’s so cold, shivering, the water turning to ice on his body as he walks. 

He hums, but he can’t hear it. 

Can’t feel his fingers. 

So cold. 

Jisung finds a place at the base of one of the haughty trees that looks okay to sleep at. The ground is hard when he lays down but he’s exhausted and he doesn’t mind when his cheek is pressed firmly against the dirt. 

It’s comforting, even. 

When he wakes up it’s still dark. 

But the cat is curled up against his chest, having nudged under one of his arms.

Jisung cries into its fur. 

Jisung’s feet are blistered and cut up from the fall in the river but he keeps walking, tailing the cat which is the only thing he can see in the dark. White fur, glittering emerald. 

His own phantom leading him through what must be a nightmare. 

Jisung smiles, trying to brighten his situation. 

But the cold has cut to his bones and his head is still bloody. 

He tries not to cry from the pain. 

The cat turns back to look at him, its tail swishing back and forth. 

Back and forth. 

Back. 

Back. 

“How is he?” Jisung asks when he’s sat down on a tree root to take a moment to breathe. “I bet he’s doing well, huh?” 

The cat butts its head against his hand until he starts petting it. 

He smiles. 

Jisung is walking and then—

They find him. 

The ones with the wagon that they carry the Deserving away in. 

Jisung is Deserving. 

He believes it. 

He believes it as it’s whispered in his ear, and as he’s bound by the wrists and tossed into the wagon. 

He believes it all the way to their camp, and as he’s led down into the tunnels below. 

He believes it when he’s pushed into a lightless box and as the door slams shut. 

The key is turned. 

Jisung is alone. 

Time is something funny, Jisung learns. 

It’s funny how quickly it goes when what is going on makes you happy, and how slowly it passes when you are Deserving. 

Jisung’s stomach growls. 

He does nothing. 

The dark is scary, Jisung learns. He wants to press up against the wall of the box to gain some sense of security but no matter how far he reaches he cannot touch it on any side. 

So Jisung pulls his knees to his chest and holds his breath. 

He passes out. 

_The cat is here—it’s standing in the doorway of the box, backlit with the brightness of light. Jisung stands up on wobbly legs, hobbling out of the box and falling to his knees on the floor outside._

_He can breathe._

_He doesn’t mind walking, the grey of the hour before dawn is hovering over the sky and though it’s not light it’s not dark._

_He doesn’t mind at all._

_The cat looks back at him every once in a while, its tail swishing back and forth._

_He always smiles at it._

_He’d like to think the cat smiles back._

_White cat, green emeralds._

_Jisung breathes out a sigh of relief when they reach the cottage._

_It’s set back off the path, but can be seen from where he stands—Jisung has never seen something so beautiful. The roses climbing the stone walls of the cottage are painted in greys but it’s beautiful, so beautiful—_

_The door clicks open._

_The sun rises, lighting up the stone path to the door and all the roses and the man standing in the doorway, peering out, in shades of gold._

_Jisung cries._

_“Thank you,” Minho whispers to the cat who in turn rubs against his leg before running towards the cottage._

_Jisung can’t do anything but sob into his hands._

_Into his hands, but then against Minho’s chest._

_“Don’t be afraid anymore.”_

_“I won’t leave you.”_

_“Come back to me, Jisung.”_

“You’ve come a long way,” Minho tells him as Jisung sits on his couch and he kneels in front of him, dabbing at the cut on his scalp. 

“It felt long,” Jisung says, touching Minho’s free hand over and over. 

Minho sets down the cotton with a sigh and rests his hands on Jisung’s knees to look up at him. “I’ve missed you here, Jisung.” 

Jisung feels a wetness in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

Minho’s hand presses against Jisung’s cheek, and he leans into the touch. “You don’t need to keep going out there, Sung. I wish you wouldn’t, I can hardly stand seeing you hurt like this.” 

Jisung hums quietly, “But I don’t belong here, Min.” 

“You said the sun rose when you saw me,” Minho says, and Jisung nods, a little shy. “I lived in the dark while you were gone, Sung. The sun rose for me when I saw you standing out there on the path.”

Jisung’s breath catches. 

“I really don’t have to go back?” 

Minho presses another gentle kiss to Jisung’s lips, holding him safe in his arms. “No.” 

Jisung closes his eyes. “I can stay here with you forever? In the light?” 

Minho’s fingers trace patterns onto his skin. “Forever.” 

Jisung smiles. 

“I think I would like that. Forever.”


End file.
